


The Assistant

by Ellana17



Series: Days at the Academy [4]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Supergirl (TV 2015), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, M/M, Sky High AU, super friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-03-11 04:18:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13516446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellana17/pseuds/Ellana17
Summary: Young billionaire and handsome Oliver Queen had everything it took to be the popular kid at school. Too bad he was an Assistant.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I can’t believe I waited this long to write a Sky High AU. Danielle Panabaker guys. Just… Danielle Panabaker.

After a disastrous Christmas break, Oliver boarded the school bus, his sister in tow. Every single conversation stopped when their fellow classmates noticed the two Queen kids entering the bus. Well, they were not both Queen kids after all, Oliver remembered bitterly. And that very fact was the exact reason their classmates were suddenly staring at them. During the holidays, Moira Queen, their own mother, had been thrown into a media storm after the revelation that Thea Queen was in fact Malcom Merlyn’s daughter. Oliver had taken the news rather well considering the scandal their mother had put them through. Thea was his sister, no matter who her own father was. Thea, on the other hand, had not said a word to their mother since that dreadful moment.

Thea speeded up and sat down next to her boyfriend Roy, who immediately put his arm around her shoulders as a sign of support and comfort. Oliver, for his part, sat down alone on the front of the bus as he did every other morning since the start of his senior year. He patted his jacket pocket, feeling the hard cover of the small notebook hidden inside and closed his eyes briefly.

Oliver’s senior year had took a dramatic turn after the first week when his father – Robert Queen, also known by some chosen ones as the Green Arrow – had died in the line of duty. After his death, Oliver had inherited a few items amongst which the notebook Oliver had taken to always carry with him. The notebook had first appeared blank but, after Oliver accidently held it near a flame, the previously blank paper had revealed a list of names. Oliver had vowed, in that moment, that he would decipher his father’s last message and use the list of name he gave him to… Oliver was not sure yet what his father’s idea had been exactly but the teen was firmly decided to find out the true meaning of those names.

Oliver attended his first class of the new term, completely focused on his schoolwork. Their teacher, Curtis, presented the first class of the day as “Responding to the call: Batsignal and other signals.” Oliver sighed and resigned himself to spend two very dull hours being taught the ways of an Assistant.

When time for lunch came, Sara joined Oliver by his locker. The girl sported her usual bang but had dyed her hair light pink during the holidays.

“So the nerds have invited me to their secret night out,” she stated without preamble.

Oliver closed the door of his locker and rested his back against it. “How come?” he frowned. “I thought you guys didn’t hang out together.”

Sara shrugged. “I’ve been assigned a new lab partner. Caitlin. She’s cool.” Oliver smirked at her. “What?” Sara asked.

“I didn’t think I’d see the day when you start to hang out with that – what did you call them again? – bunch of nerds?”

Sara shoved him playfully. “Shut up, Ollie. You should come too. Caitlin told me I could bring someone and since Nyssa is busy tonight…”

“Maybe I already have plans for tonight,” Oliver countered.

Sara raised one eyebrow. “You’ve been literally living like a freaking hermit since the start of the year, Oliver.”

Oliver shrugged. “Won’t they mind that you invited an Assistant to their little party?”

Sara snorted. “You clearly don’t know these guys. I’m not sure they even know how to party. Plus, they won’t care. Caitlin doesn’t adhere to the whole Hero/Assistant system. She says it’s downright fascist to think like that.”

“Wow, she seems…”

“Yeah,” Sara nodded. “She’s kind of intense. But the whole gang is actually super nice. Come on, you should meet new people once in a while.”

Oliver was about to reply but the words died in his throat. Sara could have phrased it a little differently; Oliver was not a hermit! She did have a point, though.

The girl smiled at him and took his arm. “Let’s go eat,” she said and the two of them made their way to the cafeteria.

That is how Oliver found himself going out on a school night for the first time in months. Sara had told him to meet them at Jitters, a small café that had apparently been the nerds hide out since they started attending Sky High. Sara dragged him inside and introduced Oliver to the small group already seated at a table in a corner of the crowded room.

“Oliver,” Sara started. “This is Caitlin, my lab partner,” she introduced, pointing at the silver-haired girl. “Cisco.” The guy waved enthusiastically at Oliver. Oliver barely managed a smile. “Kara.” The blond girl set her glasses above her nose awkwardly and gave Oliver a big smile. “And Barry.” The brown-haired boy knocked over several glasses in his haste to greet Oliver. Oliver managed to not roll his eyes at the lot of them. “Guys, this is Oliver.”

Of course, Oliver already knew them from school. They might not attend the same classes, but Oliver had come to witness their powers outside of class, during Save the Citizen for example. He knew that Caitlin had cold powers, that Cisco managed to created some sort of portals, that Kara was actually Superman’s younger cousin and that Barry ran faster than anything else in the world. The point was, Oliver might know them but there was no way any of them knew him.

“So where’s your girlfriend?” Cisco asked Sara as the girl and Oliver took a seat.

“She’s attending a charity gala set up by her father,” Sara answered simply as she took a look at the menu.

“Cisco was too afraid to invite Nyssa directly,” Caitlin pointed out.

“Hell yeah, I was,” Cisco exclaimed vehemently. “That girl is lethal.”

“That she is,” Sara confirmed with a proud smile.

“Isn’t it the charity gala organized by Lillian Luthor?” Oliver asked suddenly. “My mom wanted me to attend but…”

“But you’d rather hang out with us, man, that’s so sweet,” Cisco teased.

“Yeah, I think Lena mentioned it,” Kara added in a small voice.

“Wait,” Oliver said. “You actually know Lena Luthor?”

The remark caused everybody around the table to collectively groan in frustration, except Kara, who nodded enthusiastically.

“Did I say something?” Oliver asked, surprised.

Barry leaned towards him. “We tend to avoid talking about Lena when Kara is within earshot,” the boy whispered.

“What? Why?” Oliver asked.

Barry nodded towards Kara who had launched into the complete retelling of her first meeting with Lena. “And I was so nervous because it was the first day of my internship at the Planet and I had to assist the journalist that was going to interview Lillian Luthor and Lena and…”

Oliver stared at the girl, dumbfounded. Barry nodded sagely.

“And people only see what is shown on television, but she’s so much nicer in person, you know…”

“We know,” the group answered, long suffering.

“Man, that crush of yours is really getting out of hand,” Cisco underlined.

Kara gaped at him. “I don’t have a crush!” she exclaimed. “That’s ridiculous!”

“Hey, have you guys seen the curriculum for this semester?” Barry suddenly asked.

“Oh yeah, I can’t wait to start studying A.I.s, it’s going to be dop,” Cisco exclaimed.

“Have you seen the biology program?” Caitlin added.

“And of course,” Sara said, “the class called “Magic: Because science can’t explain everything.” I think Professor Palmer will have a blast with this one.”

Kara groaned and took off her glasses. “I hate magic.”

“How come?” Sara asked. “Magic is pretty cool.”

“There’s not a lot of things on Earth that can actually affect me but magic is one of them,” Kara explained.

“Last year, Kara got infected by one of Nyssa’s magic artifact from, you know…” Caitlin whispered.

“Nanda Parbat,” Sara supplied and the girl nodded. “But Nyssa never said anything about it to me.”

“I asked her not to,” Kara explained. “It’s not a good idea to let people know my weaknesses, and what affects me most certainly affects my cousin too. I don’t want to put him in unnecessary danger.”

“I can understand that,” Sara nodded.

“Yeah, Kara has a lot of secrets,” Cisco trailed of as a devilish smile appeared on his face.

“Cisco, no…” Kara started.

“Come on, Kara. And Barry, too.”

“Come on guys, not tonight,” Barry complained, blushing slightly.

Oliver was starting to see Sara’s point. His social skills were getting rusty. His only comfort was not note that Sara seemed just as lost as he was.

Kara and Barry finally stood up.

“Your glasses!” Caitlin exclaimed as she hold out the glasses to Kara.

The blonde smiled sheepishly, took the glasses and went on stage with Barry.

“It’s Karaoke night,” Caitlin told Sara and Oliver, who were both gaping.

Karaoke night. Of course, Oliver thought. Kara and Barry had not enough of being incredibly fast, they also had to make a perfect rendition of “Summer Nights”.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’m thrilled about the feedbacks on chapter 1, thanks guys. Here’s chapter 2.

“So… Is Oliver single?” Barry asked Sara the following morning, as she was elbow deep in a green and sticky substance during biology class.

Sara looked up to the boy in front of her. Barry had already finished the assignment and was presently seating with his back to their teacher and facing Sara as the girl tried to complete her task.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she mumbled. “You’re not wasting any time, are you?” she asked.

The girl smirked at seeing Barry’s cheeks turn red.

“What? No! that’s not…”

Barry turned to Cisco for support but his friend remained silent and only raised an eyebrow at him. Barry’s shoulders dropped.

“I’m just messing with you,” Sara told him. “Yes, he’s single; no, I’m not sure he’s actually interested in guys; and yes, I’ll get him to spend more time with us.”

Barry’s smile in that moment was so blinding that Sara almost forgot the green goo still stuck to her favorite shirt.

The students spent the last few hours of the day in the gym, enjoying a game of Save the Citizen. Sara and Cisco volunteered against Nyssa and Tatsu for the final round.

“Your girlfriend is going to kick our asses,” Cisco muttered.

“We can take them,” Sara assured him with confidence.

“I’m not so sure about that,” the boy squeaked as Tatsu pulled her practice sword out of its sheath. “We’re going to die,” he gulped.

Sara rolled her eyes at him and got into a fighting stance. She blew a kiss at Nyssa who was standing on the other side of the field. The girl smiled but Sara knew her girlfriend was already focused on wining this round. Sara had meant what she had told Cisco, though. She knew they could take them.

Ted blew the whistle and Sara’s resolve went out the window as Tatsu ran at her, sword in hand. Cisco moved his hands around and a portal appeared just as the sword was about to touch the blonde. Tatsu suddenly reappeared on the other side of the field. Sara smirked and ran to the center of the field where the citizen was already urging them to save him. The voice alone nearly convinced Sara to let the dummy get disemboweled.

Cisco had managed to create two portals at once, effectively diverting Nyssa and Tatsu’s path. Both girls collided with each other at fast speed and fell on the ground, groaning in pain and clutching at their heads.

Sara screamed. The supersonic cry broke the rope holding the dummy, which went flying right into Cisco’s arms just as the countdown reached zero.

Cisco toppled over. Sara remained standing as the crowd erupted into cheers. She smirked down at Cisco when he glared at her, spitting out some citizen fake hair. The girl also slapped Nyssa’s ass on the way to the locker room.

Sometimes she loved being a Hero.


	3. Chapter 3

“There you are,” Thea noted as she walked into the living room.

“Hey, Speedy,” Oliver greeted, closing the school book he had been staring at for the past half hour.

The boy had been trying to study for a test but found that he could not focus on the words, his mind drifting at the first occasion to the notebook in his pocket, the loneliness his new responsibilities had bought, Sara who had been trying to cheer him up since his father’s death and of course his new acquaintances. Oliver knew that the loneliness was the price to pay for the mission he had taken on and that spending time with other people was a distraction. However, Oliver had to admit that he had felt less lonely ever since Sara had unexpectedly brought him to their secret karaoke night.

“So, what’s up?” Thea asked, resting her hand on her laps as she sat down.

Oliver stared at her. “Nothing much,” he finally said. “School, I guess.”

Thea nodded. “Talking about school…” she started, smirking at him. “I heard you’ve started hanging out with the cool kids.”

“Thea…”

“I’m not making fun of you,” she assured him. “I’m happy you’re finally getting out of this whole metaphorical cave you’ve been hiding in since… you know. Good for you.”

“How do you even know about that?” he asked.

“Sara told me,” she said matter-of-factly. “You shouldn’t isolate yourself, Ollie,” she told him quietly. Oliver huffed. “Look, I know things at home haven’t been the best these past few weeks and that’s probably my fault. Roy might have pointed out that my tiff with mom has been affecting you too and I’m sorry I didn’t realize that sooner. But you shouldn’t let my problems affect you.”

Oliver opened his mouth to reply but what could he possibly say? He could not tell his sister that him distancing himself had nothing to do with his mom and sister arguing but rather with the revelations his father’s death had brought to light.

Oliver smiled at her. “Thank you, Thea,” he said finally, taking her hand in his. “I appreciate it but I don’t want you to worry about me, okay. I should be the one worrying about you, not the other way around.”

Thea rolled her eyes at him. “I’ve got plenty of people worrying about me already. You, on the other hand, don’t have nearly enough,” she pointed out before standing up. “Come on, you need to get change. Aren’t you supposed to be at that Allen kid’s house in less than an hour?”

Oliver frowned. “It’s just a study group, I don’t need to get change.”

“Yes, you do,” she countered as she grabbed his arm and led him upstairs.

Oliver tugged nervously on the bottom of his leather jacket as a knocked on Barry’s door. He hoped this was the right house. Oliver had never been to this part of the city before. He let his eyes wander around as he waited, taking in the houses lighted up where families were probably having dinner and talking about their day, the cars neatly parked in the alleys, a cat lurking in the shadows and a young man coming back home after walking his dog.

When the door finally opened, Oliver jumped slightly in surprise.

“Hi,” Barry greeted with a bright smile. “Sorry to have kept you waiting,” he added as he glared over his shoulder. “Come on in.”

Oliver waited for Barry to move away but the boy stood where he was, looking at Oliver unblinkingly. Oliver stared pointedly at the boy who startled and move away from the door so fast Oliver had to wonder if he had just used his superspeed.

“Barry! What’s taking you so long?” Cisco called out as he walked to the door. “Oh, hi Oliver.”

“Cisco,” Oliver greeted.

“Come on,” Barry said again, leading Oliver to the table placed on the other side of the living room. “Everybody’s already here. Well, except Kara, she’s out on a food run, but she should be back soon,” Barry explained.

Oliver already knew most of the people sitting around the table. Sara waved at him nonchalantly and Caitlin gave him a smile as the guy next to her offered Oliver a hand. “Ronnie,” he said.

“Oliver,” he said, taking Ronnie’s offered hand.

“Ronnie is Cait’s boyfriend,” Sara supplied.

Oliver remembered vaguely having seen the two of them around campus. Frost and Firestorm, he recalled. Thea had even said something about fire and ice being awfully romantic.

Oliver took a sit next to Sara and looked over her shoulder to the sheet of paper scattered on the table.

“What are you working on?” he asked her.

“I’m working on next week’s homework,” she sighed. “Wonder Woman’s role during World War I,” she told him, taping the pen in her hand against the school manual in front of her.

Oliver nodded and proceeded to take his things out of his bag.

“Do any of you remember on what Earth the Nazis won the war?” Ronnie asked suddenly.

“Earth X,” Barry answered distractingly. “Do you guys want anything to drink?” he asked.

“A coke would be nice,” Sara told him.

The others mumbled their agreement. “Okay, be back in a flash,” Barry told them, disappearing inside the kitchen.

His remark elicited a collective groan from his friends and a startled chuckle from Oliver.

“This joke is getting old, dude,” Cisco called after him.

They heard a crashing sound outside the house. The window flew open and a gush of cold air made its way inside the house, making the curtains flutter around menacingly.

“The pizza is here,” Cisco exclaimed as Kara opened the front door with only one hand, the other one balancing at least twelve boxes of pizza.

The girl put the boxes on the table. “Hi, Oliver,” she exclaimed with a bright smile.

“Just in time,” Barry said when he went back from the kitchen with several glasses and a bottle of coke.

“I stopped for donuts too,” Kara added, pointing at the smaller, pink box on top of the pile.

“My hero,” Barry smiled, immediately opening the box and stuffing a powdered donut in his mouth.

“So, what did I miss?” Kara asked enthusiastically as she sat down on Caitlin’s other side.

“You were literally gone five minutes,” Ronnie reminded her, amused.

“Have you ever thought about being a delivery girl?” Cisco joked as he opened one of the boxes. “Oh, yeah, baby,” he exclaimed at the sight of the still hot slice of pizza.

Kara pushed her glasses up nervously. “I’m not sure how I’d explain my abnormally good performance to the boss, though,” she reflected. Cisco shrugged. Kara grabbed a slice of pizza. “So how you guys doing on that criminology paper?” she asked.

“I asked my sister about it,” Sara supplied around a mouthful of pizza. She dug a sheet of paper out of the messy pile in front of her and gave it to Kara. “I told you guys my sister was studying law and she dug a bit and came up with these information, I think it might help us a bit.”

“A bit?” Caitlin exclaimed as she glanced at the sheet of paper. “That’s every case involving the Joker in the last few years, that’s amazing.”

“Didn’t you date Sara’s sister?” Ronnie asked Oliver.

Oliver looked up from the MCQ in front of him in surprise. “It was a while ago,” he finally answered.

“And you two are best buddies,” Cisco added, pointing at Sara and Oliver.

Oliver cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Come on, Cisco,” Barry cut in.

Caitlin slapped Cisco’ arm. “You’re making him uncomfortable,” she scolded him.

“No, it’s okay,” Oliver said. “Laurel and I broke up before she started college. There isn’t much to say, really. Sara and I started hanging out when we both started high school,” he turned to Sara for confirmation. The girl nodded. “Laurel doesn’t have any powers so she decided to help people by studying law. Now she’s preparing to become the best lawyer in the country.”

Sara smiled. “Or judge,” she amended. “My dad’s a cop,” she told the others. “He’d probably have a fit if Laurel becomes a defense attorney.”

The others laughed.

“A crime fighting family, I love it,” Cisco pointed out.


	4. Chapter 4

Oliver had his brooding face on, that much Sara could see from where she was waiting in line. The blonde was about to drag Nyssa to Oliver’s table in the cafeteria when Thea loudly put down her tray next to her brother.

“Hey, big bro,” Thea greeted with a smile. “Mind if we sit here?” she asked. However, she did not wait for his answer and sat down next to her brother, accompanied by Roy.

The boy always seemed to be standing close to his girlfriend these days, ready to defend her against anyone who would dare talk about the Merlyn… thing. Not that Thea needed someone fighting her own battles, of course.

Sara let Nyssa steer her towards another table, where Tastu was already eating.

After class, Sara found Oliver standing in front of a display in one of the corridors. She walked to him slowly as though not to startle him and glanced at the display behind the glass window.

“He would be proud of you, Ollie,” she said, staring at the pictures of the Green Arrow – Oliver’s dad.

Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not so sure about that,” he said quietly.

“What’s going on with you?” she asked gently.

“How did you know you liked girls too?” he suddenly asked. “Was it Nyssa?”

Sara frowned. “This is unexpected,” she noted. “No, it wasn’t Nyssa,” she answered after a bit. “At one point I just realized that I was watching girls too,” she explained. “That I’ve been doing it for a while, really. So I did some digging,” she told him with a teasing smile. “Nyssa was a big part of it, though. That’s when I realized that I could fall in love with a girl too.” She smiled, thinking back on her first meeting with Nyssa.

Nyssa’s dad and Oliver’s mom had been planning for their two children to get closer, but as it had turned out, Nyssa had fallen in love with Oliver’s best friend instead. Let’s just say her father had not been pleased with that turn of event.

“But everybody’s different,” she added. “So… can I ask what brought this on?”

“It’s like you said,” Oliver told her quietly. “I’m starting to realize I’ve been watching guys too.”

Sara nodded. “Well, I can’t blame you, guys are hot,” she stated.

“That they are.”

Sara smiled at him. “I’m proud of you, Ollie, really,” she said, taking his hand gently. They stayed silent for a while, staring at pictures of Oliver’s dad. “So, do you have someone in mind?” she asked at last.

“Yeah, kinda,” Oliver trailed off. “Someone I really like and that’s why I was so confused, you know, because he’s just so…”

“Hot?” Sara smirked.

“Cute,” Oliver concluded, smiling. “I mean- he’s very handsome. And he’s got those amazing eyes and…”

“Wow, Oliver Queen, look at you,” Sara teased, shoving him playfully. Oliver glared at her. “Sorry, sorry,” she chuckled. “Go on. Do I know him? Do you want me to talk to him? Ask about you?”

“I don’t even know if he likes guys,” Oliver underlined.

“I could ask him that if you want,” Sara suggested.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea at the moment,” Oliver countered. “I really don’t have time for a relationship right now.”

“What? That’s stupid. Look, I’ve been where you are and I want to do that for you. Plus, I kind of owe you. I wouldn’t even have met Nyssa if it weren’t for your crazy family.”

“Sara…”

“Come on, what’s his name?” Sara asked with a bright smile.

Oliver sighed. “It’s, huh, Barry… Allen.”

“I knew it,” Sara exclaimed. “Oh, don’t frown. I totally approve by the way. I’ll keep you posted,” she added, hugging him briefly before turning on her heels.

“No, Sara!” Oliver called after her. “Shit.”


	5. Chapter 5

In the following weeks, Oliver found himself hanging out a lot with the Hero kids. He realized that karaoke nights and study groups were a regular occurrence for them and that the lot of them actually seemed to enjoy his company. Especially Barry. That would have made Oliver pretty damn happy just a few months ago. At the moment, though, Oliver knew he could not afford to get close to anyone. Opening up about his secret was not an option.

Oliver liked Barry. He simply realized that he could not do anything about it.

“You left your history textbook at my house, last night,” Barry told him without preamble, leaning casually against the locker next to Oliver’s.

Oliver could have sworn nobody had been there mere seconds ago. He shook his head in disbelief; Barry’s speed still managed to surprise him at times.

Oliver closed his locker and turned to Barry, waiting.

“What?” Barry blurted.

Oliver raised one eyebrow. “Do you intend on giving it back?” Oliver asked, smiling despite himself.

Barry startled. “The thing is, I totally intended to bring it today but I completely forgot about it until now.”

“You can bring it on Monday,” Oliver assured. “It’s no big deal.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ll forget about it too. Anyway, I heard you might need it for an essay due on Monday…” Barry trailed off, twisting his hands nervously.

Oliver groaned. “I- damn, I had forgotten about that.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Tell you what, why don’t you come to my house after class. My dad’s cooking tonight.”

“I don’t know, Barry,” Oliver trailed off, trying to ignore Barry’s slight pout. “Okay,” Oliver finally said in a breath, cursing himself as he did so.

“Great, see you later.”

It turned out that a home-cooked meal was exactly what Oliver had needed to lift his spirit a bit. Barry walked Oliver to his bike after dinner, clearly trying to keep the conversation going.

“So Iwantedtoaskyousomething,” Barry told him.

“You might want to slow down there, I didn’t catch that,” Oliver said with a surprised smile.

“Oh, right,” Barry smiled sheepishly. “So, what would you say if I asked you out on a date?”

Oliver froze. He turned to Barry slowly, trying to find the right words. Hurting Barry’s feelings was the last thing Oliver wanted.

“Barry, I-” Oliver stopped when he saw Barry’s face fell. “It’s not that I don’t want to,” he explained quickly. “I just can’t.”

Barry frowned. “That’s a dick move,” the boy stated. “You can’t do that: not saying no but not saying yes either. What am I supposed to think?”

“Barry look, I don’t want you to get hurt-”

“Hurt? Me?” Barry smirked. “I’m faster than a speeding bullet.”

“But you’re not actually bulletproof,” Oliver reminded him seriously.

Barry stared at him. “I’m not planning on getting shot,” Barry stated. “Seriously, are you feeling okay? Because Sara’s been really worried about you, and frankly I am too. Even if we’ve not been friends that long, I really care about you and-”

“Yeah, I kind of got that part,” Oliver cut in, fighting off a smile.

“Okay, that, right there, not fair,” Barry exclaimed, smiling.

“What did I do?”

“Just- your face, that was really cute,” Barry explained.

Oliver winced. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, really, it’s my problem, I’ll deal. I can’t say I’m not disappointed, though.”

“I wish I could explain.”

“Well, if you decide you want to talk to someone about it, I’m here for you, okay?” Oliver nodded wordlessly. “So- friends?” Barry asked.

“Friends,” Oliver agreed.


	6. Chapter 6

It was a good thing Sara had always been an IT genius, as her father often called her, as she found she could not focus properly on classes that morning. Mr. Palmer – as lively and funny as he was – was not just the main focus of Sara’s mind at the moment. The blonde was already planning to corner Ollie before lunch and get all the juicy details straight from the source. She could not bring herself to care about computer viruses, even alien computer viruses.

Unfortunately, the morning did not quite turn as Sara had expected.

“Get your hands off,” Nyssa said in a cold voice.

Sara turned around at once and glanced at her girlfriend down the corridor. The girl was facing Tony Woodward, a huge guy with an even bigger ego who could, as it so happened, turn is skin into steel. Sara felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She slammed the door of her locker shut and hurried along the corridor where students were already gathering, watching the exchange with rapt attention.

“Your scumbag of a father should be in jail,” Tony spat out. “Everybody’s just too scared of him, but I’m not!” he went on, shaking Nyssa’s arm. “My father hasn’t done anything wrong!”

“If that’s true, I am certain the jury will find him innocent,” Nyssa stated calmly.

Tony snorted. “Not if your father’s paying them.”

Nyssa glared at the boy. “I won’t say it again, let go of my arm.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll make you.”

Tony shook his head in disbelief. “You’re no better than him, are you? I bet you already have a job lined up in the family business, right? You people, you have no idea what it’s like– They all let your father walk all over them, but I won’t, you hear me?” he exclaimed, pointing a finger at the girl.

Nyssa did not hesitate. She pushed Tony’s extended arm away and slammed his head into the wall as hard as she could.

“You bitch!” Tony yelled in anger.

“Watch out!” Sara exclaimed when she saw Tony’s skin turn grey.

Sara rushed through the crowd but she was too late to prevent Tony’s fist colliding with Nyssa’s jaw. Nyssa got back on her feet in a second and kicked Tony behind the knee. The boy did not even wince.

“Enough!” Ronnie exclaimed suddenly.

The tall boy made is way through the crowd, elbowing anyone standing in his path. He was closely followed by Caitlin and Cisco.

Sara rushed to Nyssa’s side. “Babe, you okay?” she asked as she looked closely at Nyssa’s jaw. The bruise was already healing, turning purple, then green, before vanishing completely. “Let’s get you to the infirmary,” she said.

“There’s no need for that, beloved,” Nyssa answered, gently pushing Sara’s hand away from her face.

“How about some lunch then?” Sara asked as Ronnie hauled Tony away, probably to the Headmistress’ office.

Nyssa nodded slowly.

It took some convincing on Nyssa’s part to get Sara to leave her side after that. When she saw Oliver walking out of the cafeteria after lunch, Sara stood up reluctantly, kissed her girlfriend sweetly and followed her best friend out.

She cornered Oliver as he was opening the door of his locker.

“So… how did it go?” she asked at once.

Oliver glanced at her, surprised. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t tell me you screwed this up!” she exclaimed with wide eyes. “Damn it, Oliver! After all the trouble I went through to leave your book at his house!”

“That was you?” Oliver growled. “Sara, you can’t do things like that!”

Sara glared. “The kid likes you, you like him, I don’t see what the big deal is! You told me you liked him!”

“I didn’t think you’d actually butt into my business!”

“You know me,” Sara countered. “I was just trying to help.”

“Well next time, just don’t, okay?” Oliver exclaimed, slamming the door of his locker shut.

“Why are you closing yourself off like that?” she asked. “What’s going on, Oliver?”

Oliver did not answer. Instead, he walked away.

“Sara?” Kara asked hesitantly.

Sara turned around quickly and came face to face with Kara.

“Is everything alright?” Kara asked with concern.

Sara shrugged. “Do you need something?” she asked gruffly.

Kara tugged nervously on the sleeve of her shirt and looked away. “I kind of need some advice,” the girl said in a small voice.

Sara stared at her. “Not you too!” the girl exclaimed suddenly. “Come on, I’m not some gay guru, you know.”

Kara looked at her feet without saying a word and Sara froze. Shit, she was a horrible person.

“Sorry,” Sara said immediately, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I didn’t mean that.” She linked her arm with Kara’s and steered her away. “How about some donuts, huh? Then you can tell me everything.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nora Allen’s words of wisdom are straight out of The Flashpoint Paradox.

Oliver knew he could not afford to put anyone at risk while he tried to uncover the mysteries behind his father’s notebook. He had lied to his sister and mother to protect them; he had turned Barry down and now he might have lost Sara’s friendship forever. The two of them had been lying in the grass between classes when it happened.

“Whatever you’re planning,” the girl had said, resting on one elbow, “you can’t do it alone. We’d be stronger together, as a team. This is what this school is all about.”

“We’re not a team, though. I’m a sidekick. An Assistant.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. I’m your friend, Ollie. Let me help you, please.”

“You can’t.”

“Fine,” Sara had finally said, standing up. “I’m done, you hear me. This time I’m really done. I’m done with you and your bullshit, Oliver. You want to do this by yourself? Fine. But don’t come running the day you realize you actually need help. You keep saying you don’t need anyone but one day you’ll find yourself truly alone and it will be too late. You’d have driven all your friends away. You don’t want my help? I get it, I won’t offer it again.”

Oliver might have to admit, at least to himself, that Sara was right after all. The boy grabbed his cellphone and sent a short text. He slung his bow across his back and got on his motorcycle.

It was already dark by the time Oliver made it to the top of the building. Barry had not yet arrived, which did not surprise Oliver in the least. The boy was known for his tardiness after all. Or, Oliver thought, perhaps the boy would not come at all. Why would he?

Oliver sat on the edge of the building.

“Not thinking about jumping, are you?” Barry said behind him. He sat down next to Oliver. “I got your text,” he added.

Oliver shook his head fondly. “Thanks for coming,” he said. “You told me once that if I needed to talk, you’d be there.” Barry nodded. “Did you mean it?”

“Of course I meant it, Oliver.”

“Good,” Oliver nodded. Then, he fished the notebook out of his pocket and handed it to Barry.

“What is that?”

“I found this notebook after my father died.”

Barry turned the pages carefully. “It’s a list of name,” he noted. “Who are those people?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ve started researching some of them. Barry, I fear my father was not the man I thought he was.”

“What do you mean? Do you think he was involved in some kind of plot, or something?”

“That’s exactly what I think,” Oliver answered gravely. “And I… I might need your help,” he finally acknowledged.

Barry turned the notebook in his hands. “So that’s why you invited me out there tonight,” Barry pointed out.

“Yeah, why else would I–” Their eyes met and Oliver winced. “You thought– Shit, Barry, I’m sorry, I should have said something.”

“No, no, that’s good, that’s great even. You’re finally opening up.”

Oliver rolled his eyes. “You and Sara really need to stop talking about me behind my back,” Oliver told him without heat.

“You guys had a huge fight because of me, I feel awful about it.”

“Don’t, it wasn’t your fault. I’ve been pushing her away for months, it was only a matter of time before she snapped. Not that I blame her. I’ve decided to try a new approach.”

“I’m really glad to hear it,” Barry grinned. “Thank you for trusting me.”

“Don’t thank me yet. If my suspicions about Merlyn are correct, we might be in way over our heads.”

“You think Merlyn has something to do with your father’s death?”

Oliver nodded wordlessly. “He’s a powerful man. He can’t be touched.”

“What about Nyssa?” Barry asked. “From what I’ve heard, her father and Merlyn are business partners these days.”

Oliver shook his head. “I don’t want to put her in danger.”

“She’d help you in a heartbeat.”

“I know, and that’s what scares me. I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”

“Well, that’s not up to you,” Barry pointed out. “Look, Ollie, my mom used to say ‘Accept the things you cannot change. Have the courage to change the things you can and have the wisdom to know the difference’,” Barry said quietly.

“I don’t know if I can do that,” Oliver told him truthfully.

Barry huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, why am I not surprised? My point is… Sara, Nyssa, your friends… They all care about you and they want to help. You should just let them.”

“What about you?” Oliver asked suddenly. Barry frowned. “Do you care about me?”

“More than you’d want me to,” Barry answered quietly.

Oliver smiled. Then, he gently wrapped a hand around Barry’s wrist and did not let go. He slightly leaned toward the other boy, giving him time to pull away. Barry closed the distance between them without hesitation and kissed him softly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was really fun to write. I'm glad you guys liked it. Thanks for all your feedbacks.

“Stop it,” Oliver mumbled, batting Sara’s hand away from his tie.

“I’m so proud of you, Ollie,” the girl told him half-jokingly.

Sara and her friends had witnessed the obvious change in Oliver’s behavior after he started dating Barry a few weeks ago. She had been happy to see her friend regain a sense of normalcy after what had happened with his family. She was glad to see him opening up to someone, even if that someone was not her. Barry seemed to be helping him carry his burden.

“You’re being ridiculous. I’m not getting married,” Oliver reminded the girl.

“You’re going to the prom,” Sara pointed out. “This is a huge deal for you.”

Oliver rolled his eyes at her fondly. The girl smirked. “So, you never told me how you asked Barry to the prom,” she told Oliver.

“Sara, come on,” Oliver groaned in annoyance.

“Come on, Ollie, you promised!”

“We’re going to be late,” Oliver said.

Sara was not deterred however. “I don’t know why you don’t want to tell me,” she said after the two of them entered the school.

Oliver looked around for their friends and waved Ronnie and Caitlin over.

“You guys look so good!” Sara exclaimed, glaring at Oliver one last time.

“Thank you,” Caitlin blushed.

The silver-haired girl then surprised them all by hugging Oliver tightly. “I can’t believe Barry was so nervous about asking you to go with him,” she pointed out. “I’m so happy for you.”

Oliver’s eyes widened in surprise at the statement.

“No way,” Sara exclaimed. “Barry was the one to ask you!” she realized. Oliver shrugged, smiling at her innocently. Sara narrowed her eyes at him.

The girl was about to tell Oliver exactly what she thought of his little stun when she caught sight of Nyssa making her way to them. The words died in her throat. To be honest, the girl had to focus all her attention on the basic task of breathing.

Judging by Oliver’s stunned expression, he probably had caught sight of Barry. At least, he would not be making fun of Sara’s reaction any time soon.

When Cisco and then Kara – who had foregone her glasses for the occasion – arrived, Sara could not help but feel a pang of sadness. Who knew what the future held for them, superheroes in training. Whatever might happen after that night, judging by the last few weeks, Sara had no doubt the team they formed now would withstand the test of time.

“They’re so cute,” Cisco said, pointing at Oliver and Barry. “It’s sickening.”

“They are cute,” Sara agreed.

Nyssa nodded imperceptibly and took Sara’s hand gently. Sara led Nyssa to the dance floor immediately, eager to have an excuse to get her hands on her girlfriend.

As they danced, Sara could not help but notice Merlyn slipping away a few minutes after his acceptance speech. The girl frowned and glanced at Nyssa. Her girlfriend looked troubled.

“Hey,” Sara asked her quietly. “What’s going on?”

“I didn’t say anything before because I didn’t want you to worry,” Nyssa told her.

“Nyssa, what’s going on?”

“I think my father might be planning something. It involves Merlyn,” she stated.

Sara stared at her in disbelief. “What makes you think that?”

“He’s been acting very odd,” Nyssa explained. “I might have eavesdropped on him,” she admitted reluctantly.

“Nyssa!” Sara hissed. “Why would you put yourself in danger like that! If he suspects you of being on to him…” she trailed off.

“I’m his daughter. He wouldn’t hurt me,” Nyssa assured her.

“Are you sure about that?” Sara asked, thinking about the man’s reaction after Nyssa came out to him.

Nyssa remained silent. From the corner of her eyes, Sara noticed Oliver and Barry slipping out of the room. Sara was practically sure the two boys were planning on following Merlyn and not making out in the bathroom as normal teenagers would.

“Come on,” Sara told Nyssa, taking her hand and leading her outside of the room.

As suspected, she found Oliver and Barry wandering the corridors – definitely not making out.

“You could have told me you thought Merlyn was involved in your dad’s death, you know,” Sara told Oliver, finally putting two and two together.

It all seemed so obvious now. How could she have misread her best friend’s behavior for all those months?

“How did you-?” Oliver asked in surprise.

“I’m not stupid, Oliver! Why didn’t you say something?”

“I had no proof!” Oliver answered. “And I didn’t want to put you in danger.”

“I wish to help you,” Nyssa suddenly cut in. Oliver stared at her. “I believe my father might have something to do with your father’s death. Either way, you need all the help you can get.”

Oliver glanced briefly at Barry who smiled reassuringly. Oliver sighed in defeat.

“I’m going to regret this but alright,” he reluctantly agreed.

Yes, Sara thought, they were superheroes. Which meant that they were definitely not getting back to the dance floor that night.

 

THE END


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